Mobile home park in Branford cited over sewer connection as officials investigate issues

‘No one should have to deal with this’: Mobile home park cited over sewer connection as officials investigate issues

Published 7:03 pm, Monday, May 2, 2016

Photo: Arnold Gold — New Haven Register

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Diane Lane stands Friday by a ditch created to divert water from her house in her back yard at Shoreline Mobile Home Community. At right lies the remains of a large uprooted tree which damaged her home.

Diane Lane stands Friday by a ditch created to divert water from her house in her back yard at Shoreline Mobile Home Community. At right lies the remains of a large uprooted tree which damaged her home.

Photo: Arnold Gold — New Haven Register

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The remains of a large uprooted tree at the park.

The remains of a large uprooted tree at the park.

Photo: Journal Register Co.

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Diane Lane stands on a pad where a home had been removed at Shoreline Mobile Home Community.

Diane Lane stands on a pad where a home had been removed at Shoreline Mobile Home Community.

Photo: Arnold Gold — New Haven Register

Mobile home park in Branford cited over sewer connection as officials investigate issues

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BRANFORD >> Living conditions at the Shoreline Mobile Home Community on Main Street continue to draw scrutiny, and for some residents, things have gotten downright smelly.

The ongoing problems at the mobile home park reared up again as the complex was cited last week for an improper sewer connection at one of the homes in the park, which “may provide serious health hazard resulting from raw sewage infiltrating into the ground,” Assistant Town Engineer John M. Hoefferle wrote in the letter of violation.

Pyramid Real Estate Group, which owns the property, has been hit with a number of violations including another one from the town on April 5 for removing two mobile homes without the proper permits.

The problem this time is that sewer service for Unit 81 at 525 E. Main St. is not connected directly to the sewer lateral located outside the home, Hoefferle said in the violation letter. This has caused liquid waste from the home to flow into a pit and spill over into an open sewer connected to the town’s sewer system.

Residents of the park have complained to the town and other agencies about the smell of the waste and other health concerns regarding contaminated soil under the homes.

Diane Lane is one of those residents who is unhappy with the management of the park. A tree fell on her mobile home last month, pulling down electric poles with it, and she believes the poor drainage that caused water run-off on the land may have exposed the tree roots and caused it to fall. There have been no tests done to prove her theory, but she believes someone should help.

The tree left 18 puncture holes in the roof of her home but she said it was a good thing it had been replaced before the accident, or things could have been worse.

“If I had a traditional mobile home roof on my house, I would not be talking to you today. Water is running in my home through my roof.

The complaints drew in multiple departments to investigate. Representatives from the DEEP, the health department and the town’s Planning and Zoning and Building departments joined a consultant of Pyramid Real Estate Group to investigate the sewer system and other issues.

“We’re going to do some water testing as a precautionary measure. We don’t think there will be anything out of the ordinary there but people have complained that the water smells,” Pascucilla said. “While we were out there, we did find that there may be a problem with the main sewer lines. It’s not a major deal, but it is something that needs to be fixed.”

Pascucilla said the property owners and its consultant have cooperated with the multiple departments to fix the issues.

Pyramid officials could not be reached for comment.

This isn’t the first time that state agencies have visited the mobile park after complaints. The Department of Consumer Protection sanctioned the former owner of the park in 2013, ordering it to address multiple violations including an infestation of feral cats, rodents, and other wild animals; overflowing trash receptacles; issues with flooding and pooling; and poor lighting, among others.

Edith Pestana, an administrator for DEEP’s Environmental Justice Program, was one of the people who visited the site last week. She said she was concerned that the caps that were put in place to prevent toxic soil from causing harm could have been compromised when the two mobile homes were removed.

Pestana said that perhaps because of the flooding, the cap that was placed over the contaminated soil as well as the concrete that was under the trailers in those impacted areas could have been exposed. However, that was not the case.

“We went down there, we did not see any evidence of a direct exposure. Our emergency response team went with us just in case. Nothing was an indication that they have come in contact with the contaminated soil under the mobile home,” Pestana said.

The DCP confirmed Thursday that there is another open investigation into the property and said they are working with DEEP and local officials to address public health and safety concerns. However, because it is an open investigation, no more information was released.

Lane said she believes no one should suffer from unhealthy living conditions regardless of their financial status. However, the same issues are seen in low-income housing throughout the country. She said he neighbors are afraid to speak up out of fear of being evicted.

“They think because we’re ‘trailer trash’ we should just shut up, stay quiet,” Lane said, “But a person can only take so much. No one should have to deal with this. No one.”